Prequel 1 "Uhg, I Guess"
Ooh La La… That Poodle Discordia: Hachiko Moto sat on the front stoop to the building that housed her office. Perhaps it was the Inuzuka in her that caused her to prefer the outdoors rather than the stuffy confinement of the four walls that contained the Hokage’s office. It was a rather picturesque setting as a cool breeze blew through Konoha and caused the leaves to dance on the currents, their soft rustle creating music for their movements. Hachi leaned back, her bare feet sliding across the grass as her hands rested on the would blanks behind her, her head tipped towards the night sky in appreciation as each star seemed to flicker before coming to life as the day gave way to the darkness. The faint glow of the moon and the lanterns that had been lit catching the distinct red of the Inuzuka clan insignia adorning her cheeks, the left one concealed partly as her hair cascaded over it, and her peculiar hued eyes that were green that blended into a warm honey shade. At her side, a giant Tibetan mastiff slumbered as a river of drool escaped the side of his mouth finding home on the porch. The dog was her Ninken, and never left her side. He was lost in some dream world where he was currently chasing a rather swift rabbit in the hopes of impressing a rather attractive poodle who was witnessing his prowess. The fantasy found reality in the twitch of his paws as his body brought to life his mind’s movements. Still, despite his preoccupation, any threat would cause him to awake and take a defensive stance. Next to Hachi, sat a file folder whose corner was tempted by the wind to tumble the stack of papers inside to the floor and escape to freedom, only thwarted by the rock that she had placed on it to secure it. It seemed Hachi had enjoyed enough relaxing for a moment and she straightened, taking a more professional position more suited towards her station and waved over her assistant. “I need you to deliver this message to the new genin that he is to report to me as soon as possible.” She handed a slip of paper to the girl that said much the same thing and was sealed with the crest of the Hokage. The assistant wandered off and Hachi picked up the folder and began to leaf through the pages. Ichiraku lISenseiIl: The young boy walked along the roads of the village heading directly for the Hokage's mansion. Along the way however, he stopped directly at one of the most famous restaurants that belonged to Konoha for their many different recipes and varieties of ramen. The lanterns being lit up signaled that the restaurant was indeed still open. Ichiraku Ramen. The young white haired boy walked into the restaurant and had ordered a small bowl of ramen. Discordia: The moon had shifted farther in the sky and the young genin had yet to arrive. Hachi was unphased by the delay and decided she would seek the young one out on her own, given that she had a few free moments to spare. She rose to her feet, bringing the file folder with her. The movement caused Kana to stir and rise to his four paws, his mouth opening wide in a yawn that revealed his pointed teeth. The streets of Konoha were not exactly sparse, but they were not crowded either as the pair made their way through them. It did not take her long to find the boy, who was occupying a stool at the ramen shop. She took care with her steps, muffling them as she placed herself behind the boy. “I would imagine being sent on your first official mission would be a bit more exciting than a bowl of ramen.” She said, her voice finally revealing her presence. The smell that filled the ramen shop was enticing, especially to someone like herself who had yet to eat dinner. So she took the vacant stool next to the boy and looked over the menu. “Can I get a bowl of pork ramen, extra meat, no egg and a serving of the broth and meat on the side as well.” She said to the girl behind the counter. lISenseiIl: Jin smiled as his ears perked up, noticing small and muffled footsteps approaching his position. Opening his chopsticks, he began to dig into his ramen. As he slowly ate his ramen, he heard a female's voice and she had spoke of a mission. Immediately turning around as she spoke, a slight smile could be seen upon his face. His blue eyes were slightly magnified due to the moonlight as he looked at the female. "Well Lord Hokage. I was going to stop by your office after I had finished this bowl of ramen." Jin sat down, leaning his chokuto blade on the side of the stool in which he sat on. …Eventually “I am sure you would have got there eventually.” Hachi said as the food arrived. Her chest rose as she inhaled deeply before she sat the bowl of broth and the meat on the floor in front of Kana, who lapped it up quickly and was looking around for more before Hachi had managed to pry apart her chop sticks and blow on the steaming noodles to cool them enough that they would not burn her mouth. She took a few bites before she spoke again. “I have a mission for you young one. It is not exactly the hardest or most challenging mission; however it will be very beneficial to the village. Have you ever heard of Reishi Mushrooms? They are capable of improving vitality and restoring chakra. They are one of the ingredients in the military ration pills.” She paused to raise her chopsticks and more noodles to her mouth, swallowing before she continued. “We are running low on Reishi Mushrooms and need you to fetch some. In this file, I have very thorough information on identifying and locating the mushrooms.” She slid the file to him, inside he would find a picture of a rather lumpy looking brownish-red mushroom with a cream colored rim and a map of several locations where they could be found. “Once you collect them, bring them to the medical ninja office and then report back to me, and try not to get distracted any ramen shops on the way.” The very corner of her lips quirked up into a hint of a smile, before she reached into the folds of her kimono and pulled out enough money to cover her order and the boys and she placed it on the counter. It Shall be Done lISenseiIl: "Hmmm." Jin sighed at her statement. Finishing up his single bowl of ramen, he merely slid it to the side. He listened attentively as the Hokage spoke about the missions and the various details of it. As she slid the file to him, Jin opened the file while it laid flat on the bar, observing the pictures of the brownish-red mushrooms and the various locations where they could be found. Outfitted in a typical black shirt with a slightly opened slit at the top of it which revealed the necklace he wore with a lightning bolt charm on it as well as a pair of light grey pants which were worn in a capri like fashion with black ninja sandals. Jin rubbed his hand through his hair as she fiished speaking to him about his mission. Taking the pictures and the maps from the file and folding them up into small squares, he placed them in his right pocket and stood up from the stool. He used his right foot to politely slide the stool back under the bar. His voice represented a sense of boredom and uninterest. "Hm. Collecting plants basically. Ugh. I guess. It shall be done Hokage-sama." Discordia: Hachi couldn’t help but notice the disinclination in his voice as he agreed to the mission. She tried to conceal a slight chuckle with a cough as she remembered having a very similar attitude. It seemed years and centuries could pass by and young-nin would still all be displeased with the missions that were assigned. She raised the ceramic bowl to her lips and finished the remaining broth before sliding from the stool and making her way down the streets of Konoha. They were emptier now than when she had entered the shop layering tranquility on the night air as she returned to her dwelling, her lips frowning as she passed her favorite spot on the front stoop and made her way to the office where an ungrateful stack of papers was waiting for her. “Kana, it is so cruel to put us within four walls.” She pouted, whining slightly now that no one was around to witness the Hokage’s behavior. "Why do I feel as if something is about to happen?" lISenseiIl: Jin sighed as he left Ichiraku Ramen, picking up the chokuto blade he leaned against the stool and holding it in his left hand. He placed his other hand on his neck, one of his usual bodily mannerisms which is done despite any situation. Walking along the quiet roads of the village, an eerie feeling passed through the air. Jin suddenly felt rather uneasy as he made it to the gates of the village. "Hm. Something is not right here." He said in a discontent voice. "Why do I feel as if something is about to happen?" Jin sighed and shrugged off his worries as his right hand dropped from the back of his neck and into his pocket, pulling out the folded map. The map was marked with red X's of the place where the specific mushrooms for his mission could be found. Seeing that the nearest location was the entrance to the Forty Forth Training Grounds, the Forest of Death, he slowly walked outside of the gates of the village and began heading to the training grounds which would eventually lead to the Forest of Death. Looking up at the sky with many stars reflecting from the moonlight that shined over the entire village, Jin spoke his thoughts aloud. "Well. I prefer the night than the day." Discordia: Hachi sat in the stiff chair behind the desk and picked up the file from the top of the stack and flipped through it. Her eyes slid back and forth as they skimmed through the words. “A Hyuuga turning three, interesting.” She said to herself as she rested her chin on her palm and continued reading. After she had finished, she set the file down and called out for her assistant. The small woman entered the door and slid her glasses into place on the bridge of her nose. “Yes, Lady Hokage?” her voice was soft and meek as she spoke. “I need an ANBU member for a mission. Hunt one down and send them here.” The assistant began to exit the room before Hachi called out to her. “Also, prepare a gift, perhaps a stuffed bear… something a small child would like. Have it delivered to the Hyuuga residence in this file.” The assistant gave a nod of understanding and headed down the hall as Hachi picked up another file. “What do we have here?” She said as she began to read, her mind briefly wandering to the genin who had been sent out on his mission. She wondered how he was fairing. "Problem?" Guest_Kezeriah: -Hikari was perched atop the rooftop of her house, scanning the sky and surrounding area, an ANBU mask sat gently on her face, covering her pale features. She sighed as she scanned, nothing out of the ordinary, as per usual, sometimes it was almost depressing how quiet the Village could be on a day like this, not that she wished for War. Her eyes gently flickered to movement near the Hokage's Office, it was her assistant, Hikari rolled her eyes, that woman was so flimsy, tripping over her own feet, scared of every Shinobi that passed her. However today she looked as if she was in a hurry and this sparked Hikari's interest. She moved swiftly and soundlessly, Body Flickering here or there until she was directly behind the Lady, her red hair shimmering in the sun "Problem?" She said simply, the lady jumped out of her skin. She was bespectacled and much taller than Hikari, dressed in dull colors and fine cotton, she looked much older than she really was. "Oh I uh," She stumbled over her words for a moment before pointing behind Hikari "Go to the Hokages Office right away!" Under her mask Hikari smirked, it must be hard being the Hokages Assistant. Hikari disappeared without saying another word and materialized beside the Hokages desk, her hands at her sides. She was dressed in her usual attire, a Black and Orange Uzumaki half shirt that revealed her tummy and Black standard Shinobi Pants with matching Sandals, today the pouches attached to either leg containing her Ninja Tools, were a little heavier than usual, her Katana at her hip. The only thing currently branding her as a Hyuga was the shimmering silver belt around her waist, held together by a Hyuga Symbol Belt buckle, she wore this proudly. Behind her mask you would never guess that she possessed the Byakugan, that's what made her such an efficient ANBU member, it was a hidden weapon as was her Gentle Fist techniques and Wind Style Ninjutsu. Hikari was ranked at Chunin level and one of the best at her age, she took pride in her title and her work and served her Kage with utmost loyalty. For the moment she stood slightly next to the Hokages desk, awaiting her orders, whatever they may be.- Ah well. At least I found them lISenseiIl: Kicking rocks along the way, Jin had made it to the entrance of the Fourty Fourth Training Grounds. He observed the metal gate and fence which was rusted due to decades of wear and tear as well as corrosion. "This gate needs to be fixed and replaced." He thought. Glancing down at the gate, he noticed a patch of dirt. The patch of dirt had a few small lumpy brownish-red mushrooms with cream-colored rims. Looking down at them, he sighed as he felt a sense of underestimation from his mission. "Collecting plants. Hmph. How is this supposed to make me a stronger shinobi? Father's shinobi stories never entailed collecting mushrooms. Ah well. At least I found them." He said aloud. Jin removed the backpack in which he was carrying and placed it on the ground. Removing the plastic bag contents from the backpack and equipping small rubber gloves on both of his hands, Jin picked up the abundance of mushrooms and placed them in a small plastic bag. He tied up the plastic bag and disposed of the gloves in a nearby trash can. As Jin placed the wrapped mushrooms in his backpack, the same feeling of uneasiness had overcome him once again. As the feeling wrecked his mind, an unknown shinobi came out from the shadows of the forest and sliced directly at Jin. Jin flipped backwards while grabbing his sword which was laying on the ground. His fast reflexes came into play as he unsheathed his blade and blocked the opponent's kunai thrust. As he deflected the unknown opponent's kunai, a feeling of fear and determination manifested into his body as well as his mind. "Who is this and why are they attacking me!?" He thought. The unknown adversary jumped back from Jin and began speaking in a cold and condescending voice. "Young Namikaze. Your life shall be ended here today." As the adversary spoke, Jin noticed a muffling of other footsteps. Suddenly, five other rogue shinobi jumped from the trees above him and thrusted their swords downwards upon him. Jin, seeing the shinobi aim down upon him, immediately clapped his hands together in the blink of an eye. At the moment his hands clapped together, a shockwave of wind dispelled ten meters around his whole body which in turn deflected not only the swords coming down upon them but the ninja that held them as well. As the five shinobi were deflected from the wind, they regained their balance and landed in a circular formation around Jin. Jin smiled under his mask as he looked at the six ninjas surrounding him. "Hm. So who are you all and what do you want with me?" He said.